


Simple Silver Chain

by Ebenaceae



Series: Requests [1]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Inappropriate goat names, Kissing, M/M, Wide-brimmed and fashionable cattleman stetsons, and blackcurrant tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 15:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6245809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ebenaceae/pseuds/Ebenaceae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Calcifer likes gift-giving, Sebastian hates spring days, words remain unspoken but not unfelt. Written for a prompt on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Simple Silver Chain

**Author's Note:**

> "Anonymous said: Player x Sebastian, any prompt you want"  
> I didn't use much of a prompt. Calcifer is my character. [Tumblr post here.](http://ebenaceae.tumblr.com/post/141035337848/simple-silver-chain/)

The worst days were the sunny ones, where the sky was clear and the breeze carried strongly above the trees, but weaker close the ground, only enough for Sebastian’s hair to flutter from his face and unfortunately not violent enough to keep anyone from coming outside. Everyone was probably out and enjoying the soft spring light that was casting over the whole valley, trying to catch the silken petals that rained from the sky.

Those sunny, breezy days were the days where pink tree blossoms were taken from their branches and flown wherever the wind’s path took them, and Sebastian noticed that, from where he stood rigid, it seemed that most of them would end up twirling down onto the surface of the lake, barely forming ripples.    

They were the worst days for two reasons.

The first reason being that he almost felt ashamed for ruining the scenic view with the thin trail of smoke coming from his cigarette and his own mouth. He’d almost think it was a dream if it weren’t for the taste of the cigarette coating his mouth, a constant reminder that he wasn’t in some kind of fantasy, no matter how opalescent the water seemed or how soft the blossoms were if he played with one between his arguably too-thin fingers.

Sebastian mulled over the feeling of ruining the idyllic landscape and bringing it, and himself, to an unfortunate reality—he thought it was appropriate that he out of all people would manage to darken even the brightest of spring days.

He also thought that, while breathing out another plume of smoke, maybe he was just being selfish, and with a mouth newly-full of the chemicalized tobacco taste he flicked the smouldering remainder of the butt into the lake among the blossoms.

“ _Hey, chief,_ if I manage to hook that, I’m going to stick it right back where it came from, hear me?”

And that was the second reason. Not the threat exactly, but rather the person doing the threatening. Sebastian let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and turned so his draping bangs didn’t block sight of the voice beside him.

Calcifer was looking at him, watching and waiting for a reaction with a lopsided grin. Sebastian gave a small smile, and, satisfied, Cal gave a snort and recast his line.

The second reason the idyllic days were the worst was due to Cal himself. The auburn-haired man who moved into the abandoned farm only a little over a year ago, who managed to actually make a living, who actually managed to find his way into the hearts of the villagers. Maybe one more than others. Cal almost always found time just to sit and fish and talk with him while he smoked, which he hardly felt was real. Though Sebastian wasn’t sure whether he should be over the moon or downright upset that the affinity was mutual… the problem was, sometimes, Calcifer seemed just as perfect as the setting around him, something Sebastian wasn’t worth, and, even worse, would probably ruin.  

“Do you think your mom would want some carp? I don’t like them much, myself,” the farmer hummed, tipping up his cattleman hat, far too chipper.

“You really don’t have to,” Sebastian said quietly. His voice was scratchy. He frowned and coughed, and when he looked back up, he saw Cal reeling in his line, watching him again.

Cal looked at him fondly, eyes like slate grown warm and malleable, as if Sebastian was somebody anybody actually wanted to see.

“Except I want to. I like giving you guys stuff! I don’t need it,” he shrugged, setting his fishing rod down. He grabbed a thermos and took a moment to drink from it—it was blackcurrant tea, as Sebastian memorized. He always made it too sweet, and Sebastian knew that was still the case when he pulled a face before screwing the lid back on and throwing the cannister on the grass. “I like... you know,” he continued, stuffing his hands into his leather jacket with uncertainty. “I like making you happy.” He tried smiling, moving closer.

Sebastian chewed his lip. Without thinking, he asked, “why?”

Cal’s smile faltered. “Huh… why? Why do I like—”

“Nevermind. I meant… the giving part. But it doesn’t matter.” Sebastian instantly felt the foot in his mouth. Calcifer was his… boyfriend, despite how odd it was to think about. It was odd because, ever since he knew him, he has been bright and positive. Supportive. Not just to him, but to everyone in town. And yet, for some reason, Cal had tried talking him… despite their seemingly obvious and hideous discrepancy between their personalities, they just seemed to connect. He tried to think of why something like that would have happened, what kind of redeeming qualities he might have to attract someone like him—

“Sebastian.” Cal’s face was almost stern. It was not quite pained, but serious. The slight droop in Cal’s eyes always managed to make him look sad as well, the resulting expression almost seeming like he was about to cry. Sebastian could probably relate a hundred times over.

Cal held out a hand, calloused from too much work. Wordlessly, Sebastian took it. The feeling of the rough palm was familiar, and they both entwined their fingers immediately. The contrast between them still there, skin like snow against desert sand. Nevertheless, he felt himself relax, but he felt Cal tense. “I don’t know if I’m making you uncomfortable, or…”

“That’s not it at all,” Sebastian assured him quickly.

Cal swallowed thickly, looking at their hands. “When I was in the city, I was always… distant, cold. Alone. You know? When I moved here I didn’t know if I’d still be living that way or not.”

Ignoring the blossoms, lake, or anything else around them, Sebastian turned and looked into Cal’s eyes. It wasn’t hard, considering they were the same height, but the sad-looking slate eyes locking onto his own almost felt intimidating, too serious, almost enough to break the contact.

He blinked, then spoke. “But you feel… differently, now?” He asked carefully.

Cal smiled softly. “So much,” he started. “It’s always beautiful here. I’ve got tonnes’ve friends. Some best friends. I even have the best cat ever,” he nodded.

He broke away from Sebastian, smirking, reversing half a step as he dug through a pocket of his dusty leather jacket. He found whatever he was looking for, made known by a small triumphant sound, and he returned to his spot as quickly as he left. Sebastian was watching with curiosity all the while.

“And oh, I don’t know. I guess I have a pretty spectacular boyfriend too,” he grinned, taking Sebastian’s hand and laying the object in his palm. His fingers were pressed closed around it, cold and smooth. Cal chuckled awkwardly, taking off his hat. His face was growing red as his unkempt hair as he toyed with the cattleman’s brim, seemingly looking everywhere but directly at Sebastian.

Confused, Sebastian looked at his fist. Cal had grown out of embarrassment when giving gifts. When he opened his hands, his eyes went wide. He saw it was on a chain—he took it and held it up, staring and studying the gift with disbelief.

Cal was watching him again. “Sure, I don’t feel alone any more. But… I just never want you to feel alone, either. To me, that’d be even worse,” he admitted.

Sebastian held up a simple silver chain where, at the bottom, a black pendant in the shape of a slender bird skull swayed with the slight shake of Sebastian’s hand. The chain looped through the eyes, and the delicate features were streaked with a glinting blue-white. The beak was long and curved, and ended in a smooth point, looking like a long triangle from the front.

“Is… is this…”

Cal coughed into his fist. “It’s, um, obsidian and frozen tear. I made it specially for you.” He flinched. “No, no, not me… not just me. Clint obviously did it. I wouldn’t be able to do that,” he laughed.

“Cal…”

“It was kind of a joint effort, too! I asked what I should give you as a, um. Really special gift. Abi literally just told me to give you a skull. Sam suggested something you could take with you! Joint effort. Like a token of affection from all of us…” he trailed off, biting his lip. “So… if you don’t actually like it, you can’t blame just me.”

Sebastian moved the necklace back into his palm, cradled to his chest. “It’s almost too beautiful. I don’t know what to say.”  
  
“You like it?”

Sebastian looked up. “Cal. I love it, obviously. I just don’t know what I did to… deserve this, I guess.”

“You didn’t have to _do_ anything, Seb,” Cal started tentatively, “it’s an entirely selfish thing on my part. I only ever feel the happiest when I know you’re happy too. I thought you’d like being reminded of Abi, Sam and I… but, um. This is really selfish, but I’d hope that you’d mostly think of _me..._ ” Sebastian lifted the chain and put it over his head, feeling the cold metal against the back of his neck and the weight of the obsidian against his hoodie. “So I can’t mess this, us, up. Ever,” Cal concluded.

Sebastian took a moment, pausing to let his thoughts sink in. “Aren’t you nervous?” He asked, stepping closer.

“I’m terrified,” Cal muttered, almost to himself, looking away.

The moment was again, in a word, idyllic. Yet, again, Sebastian felt as if he’d almost ruined the moment completely. He felt a twitch in his fingers and he was suddenly aware of the lack of a cigarette parting his lips, unable to roll and shift it between his teeth to ease his anxiety. Instead of reaching to grab his pack, however, he placed his hand on Calcifer’s cheek—so much unlike his hand, still smooth and not yet weather-worn—and leaned forward, pressing their lips together.

Cal was momentarily startled, he staggered before relaxing into the kiss, sighing a breath between them. As Sebastian pulled back, Cal grinned and laughed breathlessly.

“Geez,” Sebastian drawled, “am I really that bad?” His voice was raspy, but the smile gave away that he was kidding. Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around Cal’s waist, resting them on his hips.

Cal shook his head. “Never in your life, handsome.” In a swift motion, he took his cattleman and placed it on Sebastian’s head, pulling the brim forward and in turn tugging Sebastian forward. He then took the lead, kissing Sebastian firmly, resting his hands on his shoulders. It wasn’t rough but it was unyielding, passionate and undoubtedly his own. Leaning into each other, Sebastian felt the point of the pendant press against him even through his hoodie. He smiled into the kiss, toying with the edge of Cal’s jacket and memorizing each fray.

When Calcifer relented, Sebastian couldn’t keep himself from ducking his head and bringing up a hand, smiling into his palm. He hoped that the hair that fell into his face would cover the majority of his reddening cheeks.

Whether it did or not didn’t matter in the end, as Calcifer moved and tucked away the black felled bangs, revealing Sebastian’s full face.

Cal smiled easily. “You look really good like this, you know. In my stetson and all. We’ll make a farmer of you yet, I think.”

Sebastian snorted. “Thanks, but, try all you like, I’d probably kill whatever I touched,” he huffed. He felt warm, both from the sun and from the affection. He still didn’t understand completely why Cal would want him, but there was no changing his feelings from the looks of it. He took his gift delicately between his fingers and petted it with his thumb, feeling the smooth curves. It felt grounding. “Cal?”

“Yes, my cowboy charmer?” He had turned away to pick up his fishing gear, shrugging his rucksack over his shoulders.

Sebastian snorted again at the nickname. “I just wanted to say thank you. And that… I. I… you know. Yeah.” The words still felt too foreign to say, as if somehow he’d pronounce them wrong and ruin the dream for the both of them, forever.

However, Cal looked up and grinned, beaming. “Right back at you.”

Sebastian smiled back. He’d figure out what to say and how to say it eventually.

It really did seem like a dream. But the taste of Calcifer’s blackcurrant tea resting on his lips brought him back to reality, and it was far softer and far more real of a feeling of reality than the taste of smoke within him.

He fixed his hair the way he normally liked it, the bangs made him feel safe, but he kept the hat. As he stepped forward he reached down and once again linked their hands, which, despite everything that should have kept them apart, made him feel the safest of all.

“It’s still light out,” Sebastian commented.

“It is,” Cal agreed, pondering. “Well, speaking of farming… you haven’t met Bartholomew yet, have you?”

Sebastian paused in thought. “Your goat, right?”

“Yeah!”

“I thought you got a dairy goat.”  
  
“Well yeah, that’s her,” Cal chuckled.

“Bartholomew?”

“Well, sometimes I call her Bart.”

Sebastian couldn’t help ducking his head down again and laughing quietly, looking up at Cal through his lashes incredulously.

“Don’t have to be so rude,” Cal frowned, again looking saddened, “it’s a good name.”

Sebastian shook his head, straightening. “No, yeah, I agree. I’m sorry,” he smiled, “let’s go see her,” he finished as he began to walk forward, tugging Calcifer with him and leaving behind the blossom-covered lake.

**Author's Note:**

> I did name Calcifer after the Ghibli character, and I did name my first goat Bartholomew. They're lovely names.  
> Come say hi! [I'm Ebenaceae on tumblr.](http://ebenaceae.tumblr.com/)


End file.
